Secrets of the Chen Family

//Last Updated on June 22, 2024

A couple of days ago in Gale City.

In a dimly lit chamber within the Chen family manor, a burly man stood before a council of men at the center of attention.

If Liu Feng had been there, he would have recognized that man. He was the bandit leader of the notorious Green Python Bandits he had seen before.

Bowing respectfully, Ma Jin addressed the Chen family head, "Greetings, lord Chen."

Chen Xiangyun, the patriarch of the Chen family, stood in front of him tall and powerful. His sharp features displayed the scars of age and experience.

The people present in the room resumed their discussion as it echoed throughout the halls of the Chen manor.

"Patriarch Chen, I assure you that my brothers are prepared to serve you faithfully. With your support behind our back, we can continue to serve and bring great wealth and power to the Chen family."

Chen Xiangyun was a cold and calculative individual, observing Ma Jin with his discerning eyes he replied, "Ma Jin, as promised, soon you will get an opportunity to prove yourself and this will be your final task. On the day of the festival here, we will finally get a hold of this Gale city and you have to assist me with it. Your loyalty and accomplishments on that day will determine whether you are worthy of joining the ranks of our esteemed Chen family."

Beads of sweat appeared on Ma Jin's forehead as he nodded eagerly, attempting to hide his desire. "I understand, patriarch Chen. I will prove my worth with actions, not just my words."

Nodding his head with approval, the Chen family patriarch asked Ma Jin, "Have you made any progress in locating the item? As I have told you before that item is very important to our family and you can earn a lot of contributions if you can provide any information about it."

With a composed demeanor, Ma Jin met the patriarch's gaze and spoke firmly, "My brothers and I are diligently searching for it, but I regret to inform you that there seems to be no trace of the item we seek till now. However, I have heard whispers that while digging around the Misty Mountain range, someone spotted something similar. If my information is correct, that individual will be present in the black market of this city tomorrow. We plan to visit him to get to the bottom of this and verify it ourselves."

Ma Jin had an unsettling feeling as the discussion progressed. The memories of the green python he had been rearing since its infancy flashed before his eyes.

Even though he was selfish and was well aware of this part of his personality, he adored his pet.

Ma Jin refocused his thoughts on the Chen family patriarch and was prepared to bring up the topic of the Zhang siblings when he felt a sharp pain in his chest. He staggered, grasping his chest, coughed up blood, and collapsed on the ground.

"Ma Jin, what's going on?" Patriarch Chen said, his eyes wide with scorn. "Are you all right?"

Ma Jin managed to regain his composure while gasping for air. "I'm fine, patriarch Chen. It is just a small matter; I am perfectly fine. Please forgive my unsightly behavior just now."

"Remember, strength is the most important pillar upon which our family stands," the family head reminded Ma Jin. "We will not allow any weakness, especially from those aspiring to join our ranks."

Ma Jin clenched his fists, flickering his eyes responded, "I will not falter, patriarch Chen. I promise to prove my worth, even if I have to sacrifice everything."

Although Ma Jin realized his connection with his pet python had been severed, and most likely it was due to Little Green's death, he still did not falter in front of the Chen family patriarch and the elders.

They soon began to discuss the Zhang siblings. Ma Jin informed them that they had yet to obtain any valuable information from the boy they had taken to their place. Despite being captured and tortured to the point of losing consciousness multiple times, he did not utter a single word. Even the threat of killing his sister wasn't enough to convince him.

Ma Jin knew about the Zhang girl, Zhang Yan's younger sister. She was captured and imprisoned somewhere by the Chen family. Only the patriarch knows the whereabouts of her. The most crucial thing they've retrieved from the girl is a wooden token with intricate patterns.

Patriarch Chen tightened his fist as he looked at the wooden token beside him. Despite his best efforts, he was unable to uncover any secrets about it or the Zhang clan's unusual background. He felt his lord should be disappointed by his incompetency if he kept going like this.

'This certainly is an extraordinary item. Even I, a great cultivator in the late stages of the Qi condensation realm cannot hold it for more than a couple of seconds. I should offer it to the lord next time I meet him.'

Taking every piece of information into account, lord Chen made a resolute decision. Everything was going as he had planned. He felt there was no need for Ma Jin's presence anymore for the next part of the discussion.

"Fine, you may leave now," he said, pointing his finger to the exit of the hall for the bandit leader to exit the premises and continue his tasks as instructed.

The family head's cold laughter echoed behind Ma Jin as he walked out of the Chen manor.

Unbeknownst to Ma Jin, patriarch Chen, and all the family elders gathered there saw him as a pawn to assist in the plan of the Chen family's rise and in preserving their current position in Gale City. He was nothing more than a puppet with a false sense of purpose.

Inside the chamber, family head Chen turned to the elders gathered in the hall with a nasty smirk on his lips.

"Did you witness the foolishness of that lowly bandit? He thinks his little contribution to our Chen family can earn him a seat among us. Little did he know, his fate was sealed from the very beginning and the day of the festival will mark the end of it."

The elders nodded, their eyes shining with wicked pleasure. They were fully aware of their status within the family, but tonight they felt it was made clearer than ever.

The family head's voice was filled with hatred as he continued, "Soon, Gale City will belong to us, to our Chen family, and we will rule over it."

"We have waited long enough," Lord Chen added, "From deceiving that greedy man from the Zhang family to our rise of being the strongest family in this Gale city, we have come a long way indeed."

Patriarch Chen's menacing smile spread across the council, meeting each elder's gaze as he declared, "Our time is nigh. We will begin our mission with this Gale city and will not stop until we have offered the entire great Qin our lord, the Blood Sovereign."

A rush of excitement washed over the elders gathering, their features twisted with greedy smiles and arrogance. The pleasure of rising from the shadows to seize the great Qin's throne while serving the Blood Sovereign was apparent on their face.

"In the coming days, we must strengthen the security in Gale City. We must ensure that no suspicious person enters the city and hinders our plan," the Chen family leader announced, his voice laced with a certain sense of authority.

"No one will get in our way. Those who dare to oppose us will be instantly annihilated."

The elders agreed, their eyes darkened with a malevolent shine. Blinded by the delusions of power, they were ignorant of the dark forces that were truly manipulating the events behind the scenes.

***

Soon after Ma Jin gathered his brothers outside his meeting place, he directed them to head to the black markets as planned and sell their items. He did not disclose all the events that transpired at the Chen family meeting completely to them, as usual.

Parting ways with his loyal brothers, Ma Jin's mind churned with strong determination. His pet's death couldn't have been a mere accident. He knew someone must have discovered their hidden lair and caused this.

Aware of the capabilities of the formation given to him by the Chen family, he knew discovering the hidden cave was not an easy task. Even a foundation establishment realm cultivator will find it difficult to discover its mystery.

"Could one of my brothers have betrayed me?" he pondered, but quickly dismissed the idea, believing in them completely.

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